Deadly Attacks in Nigeria Leave Over 170 Dead
More than 170 people were killed in attacks on villages in western Nigeria on Tuesday, marking one of the deadliest incidents of violence in the country this year, according to local officials and news reports. The attacks targeted the remote village of Woro in Kwara State, where gunmen rounded up residents, bound their hands behind their backs, and executed them, Sky News reported, citing a local lawmaker.
The Guardian reported that the attacks occurred in Woro and Nuku, also in Kwara State. The motive behind the attacks appeared to be rooted in religious extremism, as survivors told Reuters that the jihadist raiders demanded villagers embrace Sharia law, according to Sky News. When the villagers resisted, the militants carried out the mass killings.
The Nigerian military had launched an offensive against terrorist elements in Kwara state last month, according to The Guardian. The recent attacks highlight the ongoing challenges Nigeria faces in combating violence perpetrated by jihadist and other armed groups. The country has been rocked by sectarian violence in recent years, as shown by a woman praying at church in Minna, Nigeria, after a separate incident last year which saw scores of people kidnapped, according to Sky News.
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